To participate in an After School Matters program, you must:

• Be a resident of Chicago and attend a Chicago Public High School.
• Be 14 years old by the first day of the program.

Instructors will communicate directly with teens as they finalize their program rosters throughout the recruitment period – from now until the first day of programs. ALL teens who apply to a program will receive a status notification via email. This email will let you know whether or not you have been placed in each program to which you applied. Teens who are not placed in programs at that point will be encouraged to apply for additional programs.

You may apply to up to six programs per program session.

When completing your application, have your CPS ID number ready (if applicable), a functioning email address, and/or phone number. A valid Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) is accepted but not required for your application.

Teens applying to internships must be at least 16-years-old and must complete employment verification requirements, I-9 and W-4 forms, after you have been placed in a program.

If you do not have a Social Security number or ITIN, you can still participate in some After School Matters programs! Please talk to your program instructor for more information.

No, you may only participate in one program per program session. We do encourage you to participate in more programs in future sessions.

Most programs require an in-person or virtual interview. This is a time to connect with the instructor, share why you want to participate in the program, what other obligations you may have during the session, how the instructor can best support you, and any questions.

If a program needs additional participants, they may pull teens from the waitlist. In this case, an instructor will reach out to teens via email or phone to invite them to interview.

If you wish to switch programs, contact your school liaison or program staff asap. All program switches should take place by the first week of a program session.

All teens that meet the stipend eligibility requirements will receive a stipend based on the program level and frequency. Learn more about Teen Pay, here.

1. Use your Application ID to log into your Teen Dashboard under “Edit an Existing Application.”
2. Search for the program you want to apply to from the list below.
3. Add the program to your application.
4. Click “next” all the way through to fully submit the application.
5. Be on the lookout for enrollment offers in your email or your Teen Dashboard.

Reach out directly to the instructors of the programs you applied to (visible on the Teen Dashboard) via email to introduce yourself, check in on the status of your application, and share the reasons why you want to be in their program. From there, each instructor will get back to you about possibly setting up an interview or status of your application.